Cyprus Business Now: weekly wrap-up

Here are the top business stories in Cyprus from the week starting June 8: Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) has appointed Elena Pantazidou as Chief People Officer, effective June 1, 2026, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. As a member of BSM’s Management Board, Pantazidou joined the company in 2010 and has held a number of […]

Footballers’ fear of penalty shootouts

When Arsenal football club lost 4-3 on penalties to Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in the European Champions final in Budapest two weeks ago the question no England fan dared ask was if it was a harbinger of the shape of things to come for England in the World Cup in North America. A penalty shootout […]

Tales from the Coffeeshop: Is president unaware of Cyprob fatigue?

THERE was a time, some years ago, when a visit by a UN envoy to Kyproulla, with the aim of kicking some life into the Cyprob, would be big news, the main story in every newspaper and the lead on all the television news shows. We would be bombarded with alarmist stories about Anglo-American plots […]

Online video revenues surpass pay-TV for first time in 2025

Streaming revenue reaches $176 billion in milestone year Online video services strengthened their dominance in 2025, with research firm Omdia reporting that global streaming subscriptions climbed sharply while pay-TV subscriptions continued to decline. According to Omdia’s latest TV and video market data, global online video subscriptions reached 2.24 billion by the end of 2025. That […]

Queries raised over Cyprus’ Schengen ambitions

Diplomats representing member states of Europe’s border-free Schengen zone remain unconvinced by Cyprus’ efforts to ready itself to join the zone, with six representatives of missions from across the continent expressing their reservations to the Cyprus Mail about the prospect of the island becoming the zone’s 30th member. “There is no serious way that Cyprus […]

Our View: Far right Cyprus party more likely to be part of political system than threat to it

Akel’s reaction to the distribution of the House committee chairs, which was completed on Friday, defied belief. It sparked an exchange of terse announcements with Disy, which accused Akel of undermining the effort to achieve consensus and opting for “toxicity, intense confrontation and conspiracy-spinning.” This was in response to an outburst by Akel’s parliamentary spokesman […]

Greek wealth erosion highlights the risks of cash-heavy savings

Greek households experienced a quiet but significant erosion of wealth between 2021 and 2025 as inflation significantly outpaced the returns on traditional bank savings, according to a new report from Freedom24. While the Greek economy regained investment grade status and macroeconomic indicators showed strong recovery, an analysis utilising data from the Bank of Greece, the […]

Group C: Scotland edge past Haiti, Brazil and Morocco settle for a draw

Scotland hang on for first World Cup win since 1990 with 1-0 victory over Haiti Scotland, roared on by their Tartan Army of travelling fans, savoured their first World Cup win in 36 years on Saturday when they edged past Haiti for a scrappy 1-0 victory settled by a first-half strike from John McGinn. The […]

Group B: Qatar hail first World Cup point after late goal stuns Switzerland​ in 1-1 draw ​

Qatar celebrated their first World Cup point after a late own goal forced a 1-1 draw against Switzerland and sent the Gulf nation into jubilation on Saturday. Qatar captain Boualem Khoukhi and Miro Muheim leaped for Homam Ahmed’s cross after 94 minutes, with Khoukhi’s header deflecting off the Swiss marker to cancel out a first-half […]

Xhaka expects best World Cup for Swiss, says must enjoy the moment

Switzerland are raring to get their campaign underway against Qatar and are shaping up to deliver their best World Cup so far, but the players must make sure they enjoy the moment, captain Granit Xhaka said on Friday. Playing in his fourth World Cup, Xhaka said the Swiss were confident and “yearning for it like […]

Reps from European municipalities to converge on Nicosia for urban planning fest

Nicosia is set to welcome hundreds of European local authorities and urban practitioners as the 2026 URBACT City Festival takes place. Co-organised by the EU-funded programme URBACT* and the Municipality of Nicosia, the event will transform Eleftheria Square on September 29, into a ground of fruitful exploration, urban discussions and participatory happenings. Across two days […]

Russell takes Barcelona pole ahead of Hamilton, Leclerc crashes

George Russell seized pole position for a race that could snap championship-leading teammate Kimi Antonelli’s winning streak while Lewis Hamilton split the Mercedes pair in Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday. Italian Antonelli, who will be seeking a sixth win in a row on Sunday to extend what is currently a 66-point lead over seven-times […]

Starmer tells Rutte UK will publish defence plan before NATO July summit

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Saturday he would publish the government’s defence investment plan before the alliance’s summit in Ankara next month, a Downing Street spokesperson said. In a call earlier on Saturday, Starmer and Rutte agreed allies must strengthen collective defence and deliver more quickly in response […]

Croatia’s Donna Vekic revived memories of her deep run at Wimbledon two years ago when she thrashed Britain’s Katie Boulter to reach the Queen’s Club Championships semi-finals on Saturday. Vekic dropped only six points on serve in a 6-1 6-3 victory against wildcard Boulter who looked flat after her stunning win against world number two […]

Ghana chides ‘unfair’ Canada for denying visa to midfielder Partey

Ghana’s government on Saturday called Canada’s decision to deny midfielder Thomas Partey a visa for his country’s World Cup game against Panama next week “high-handed and extremely unfair”. The West African nation’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it understood the decision to be based on pending criminal proceedings in Britain. The 32-year-old Partey, […]

Turkey’s long World Cup wait set to end with Australia showdown

Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella want his players to keep their emotions in check and make the country proud when they play their first World Cup match in 24 years against Australia in Vancouver on Saturday. Turkey have not appeared at a World Cup finals since finishing third at the 2002 tournament, and Montella told a […]

Ustel claims Azerbaijan charter flights to north ‘nearing launch’

The process for launching charter flights between Azerbaijan and the north is at an “advanced stage”, Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel said on Saturday. He said cooperation agreements currently under discussion could pave the way for services to begin in the near future. Speaking in Baku, Ustel said contacts with the Azerbaijani government had […]

Protesters tear down Albanian development site fences, amid anger over coastal projects

Some 200 protesters on Saturday tore down metal and razor wire fences surrounding a luxury development site on Albania’s Adriatic coast, in another sign of growing anger against construction in environmentally sensitive areas. Albanians have been protesting for weeks against a planned luxury resort backed by a company linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of […]

Christian Pulisic offers positive injury update: ‘I don’t think it’s anything’

Christian Pulisic exited at halftime of the United States’ 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday in Inglewood, Calif., due to a minor left calf injury, but the star winger offered assurances afterward that he would be OK. With the U.S. ahead 3-0, Pulisic was a surprise scratch to open the second half, replaced by Sebastian […]

Etyk calls for pre haircut benefits to be restored

The restoration of losses suffered by bank employees during the 2013 financial crisis was a central issue at the 58th annual general congress of bank workers union (Etyk), held in Nicosia on Saturday. Union leaders called for the implementation of an agreement reached with the government and the Bank of Cyprus. Etyk’s president Loizos Hadjicostis […]

Motels, marshland and luxury rates: Welcome to the World Cup in New Jersey

Days before the kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, there was no outward sign that this desolate, trash-strewn parking lot in New Jersey would soon become one of the priciest stretches of asphalt in the tri-state area. The newly refurbished World of Blue hotel will charge soccer fans $450 to park here on the […]

Antibiotic resistance genes found across world oceans, Italian study shows

Genes linked to antibiotic resistance are present across multiple ocean basins, including remote waters, ​according to findings from an Italian-led research ‌project that analysed seawater samples worldwide. The SeA Care project found antibiotic-resistance genes in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Arctic and other regions, with higher concentrations detected near busy shipping routes ​and densely populated coastal areas. […]

‘I’ve been through hell and back’: cancer, love and a miracle baby

Stronger and softer, says Yianoula Kyprianides when I ask how her experience – actually more the experience of her husband Kyriacos – has changed them both. ‘Stronger’ is obvious enough. “‘Stronger’ as in, I can get through tough things,” says Yianoula. “It’s made me more resilient, I think,” agrees Kyriacos. “I mean, I’ve been through […]

Van Hecke seeks to emulate uncle’s success

If Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke is to keep up family tradition, he will need to go all the way to next month’s World Cup final. His uncle Jan Poortvliet played in defence for the Dutch in the 1978 final, where they lost the deciding game against hosts Argentina in extra time. Van Hecke […]